据insidefacebook报道，社交网站Facebook最近又有了新动作，目前正针对一小部分广告主进行自助广告服务工具的功能调整测试。Facebook将不再提供Like关键词的广告目标设置功能，而是以范围更宽泛的广告类型选项取而代之。如果Facebook执行了这项新政策，那么这项变化将更容易吸引新晋广告主，但可能严重影响高级广告主的广告投放准确度，降低他们的广告点击率。

其实Facebook也可以不执行这项测试，或者将更宽泛的广告类型添加为额外选项，但那些已进入初级测试阶段的广告主已经别无选择了，而且也不能中途退出测试。

Keyword-Targeting-Small-Tool

游戏邦获悉，Facebook广告商在过去可以通过广告编辑器中的Like & Interests广告目标设置，输入一个Facebook Page的名称，然后从下拉菜单的一连串列表中选择将显示的广告类型。这种设置可以让广告商更准确地锁定目标用户，向这些群体投放他们可能感兴趣的内容。

但在现在的测试版本中，广告商只能看到两栏列表，左侧框是一个范围极为宽泛的广告类型选项，例如活动、商务/科技、运动等。右侧框是一个略为精确的二级选项，可将上一级选项划分为烹饪、文学/阅读、美食/餐饮等。

Broad-Category-targeting-Tool

与过去不同，现在的广告商不可再直接锁定硬核视频游戏玩家，向他们展示《使命召唤：黑色行动》的相关内容，而只能先选定“活动”这个大范围，然后再从二级选项中挑出“游戏（掌机）”这个子项。这样一来，那些风格与《使命召唤》相似的第一人称射击游戏，就有可能出现在喜欢《俄罗斯方块》、《超级马里奥》等各类游戏的用户面前，但比起那些准确投放的广告，这种设置只会产生更低的点击率。

游戏邦猜测，Facebook推出该测试的用意可能是，为那些对Facebook Pages与广告主题关联性还不够了解的广告商创造便利，好让他们展开相对准确的广告营销活动。对那些适用于多数用户的广告活动，比如实体书店广告，就只需要选择宽泛广告类型中的“文学/阅读”选项，就可以锁定喜欢多种书籍、作家和语言风格的用户。

这样广告商也可以省去设定冗长关键词的麻烦，让Facebook来决定广告目标受众。在去年8月，Facebook测试并执行了一项扩大用户年龄范围的广告目标设置功能，让广告商与更为广泛的用户群体打交道。游戏邦获悉，Facebook此举引起了不少广告商的不满，假如不能自主选择关键词，他们甚至有可能撤销在Facebook平台的广告预算。

Facebook平台最大的广告商们正逐渐转向创建于Facebook广告API的第三方工具，以便开展大规模而有针对性的广告活动。Facebook在简化自己的自助广告工具的同时，也可能会决定高级广告客户该选用哪一种先进的广告工具。

当然，最理想的情况就是Facebook同时提供两种解决方案，为新晋广告商提供默认设置的宽泛型广告选项，同时也支持高级广告商适当自主定义广告关键词。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Facebook Tests Replacing Keyword Ad Targeting With Broad Category Targeting

Facebook is testing a major functionality change for its self-serve performance ad tool that would replace the specific Like keyword targeting with broad category targeting. If implemented, this change would make somewhat accurate targeting more accessible to novice advertisers, but severely limit A/B testing and eliminate many advanced strategies used by expert advertisers to attain high click-through rates.

Facebook might decide not to implement the test, or it could add broad category targeting as an additional option. But in the meantime, those in the beta test are stuck without keyword targeting, as Facebook has confirmed that no one can opt out of it.

Normally, advertisers can type the name of a Facebook Page into the Likes & Interests targeting field in the ad creator, and may then select from a drop down menu as well as a number of suggestions to decide who the ad will appear to. This allows advertisers to hone in on a very specific niche of users with whom their ad will resonate.

In the tested interface, users see a tree of two columns with very broad categories in the left pane, such as Activities, Business/Technology, and Sports, that open up into slightly more precise sub-categories in the right pane, such as Cooking, Literature/Reading, and Food & Dining.

Instead of being able to target users who Like the popular console video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, advertisers would have to target the broad category of Activities and the sub-category of Gaming (Console). In this case, an ad for a first-person shooter war-themed game similar to Call of Duty would be shown to users who Like a much wider range of games from puzzlers such as Tetris, to family-friendly platform games such as Super Mario Bros. This would probably lead to a much lower CTR for the ad than if it could be targeted to those who Like especially similar games.

Presumably the goal of the test is to make it easier for those without knowledge of the specific Facebook Pages that relate to their ad’s topic to create somewhat accurate advertising campaigns. In the case of advertising for something with broad appeal, such as a physical book store, being able to target users who Like a wide variety of books, authors, and words related to reading with a single ad targeted to the broad category Literature/Reading could be useful.

Instead of long keyword brainstorming sessions, advertisers could leave it up to Facebook to decide who will see their ads. In August Facebook tested and later implemented a feature that lets advertisers broaden their age targeting to reach a larger audience than they initially specified. However, many advertisers would be outraged and potentially shift ad spend away from Facebook if they could no longer choose their own keywords.

Facebook’s largest advertisers have been slowly moving to use third-party tools built on the Facebook Ads API, which allows advertisers to programmatically run huge, efficient advertising campaigns. Facebook could decide that expert advertisers should use one of these advanced tools while simplifying its own self-serve tool.

Still, the best option would be to offer both, perhaps showing the broad category targeting tool by default to cater to novices, and placing keyword targeting below a fold for experts to find.（source:insidefacebook）